CFTC finds that Excellent USA and John Gallwas Failed to Supervise the Handling of
Foreign Omnibus Accounts

CFTC Revokes Registration of Excellent USA as a Result of the Criminal Conviction
of One of its Principals

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced today
the settlement of an action filed on August 20, 2001, against Excellent USA,
Inc. (Excellent USA) and John F. Gallwas (Gallwas), both of Chicago,
Illinois.

The CFTC complaint charged that the respondents failed to supervise the handling of
the omnibus accounts of two Japanese firms and that Excellent USA was disqualified
from registration by virtue of the criminal conviction in Japan of one of the
firm’s principals (see CFTC News Release 4553-01, August 20, 2001).

The CFTC settlement order
finds that, between March 1994 and January 1998, Excellent USA and Gallwas regularly
accepted spread orders from the Japanese firms, including simultaneously entered
orders to buy or sell the same spread that resulted in the omnibus accounts holding
almost equal and offsetting positions in each futures month. The order finds that such
trading results were unusual, looked like possible wash sales and should have raised
questions concerning the propriety of the Japanese firms’ trading.

According to the order, despite the suspicious nature of this trading, Excellent USA
and Gallwas never questioned the trading. The order also finds that Excellent USA and
Gallwas never reconciled the apparent discrepancies between information provided by
the Japanese firms and their knowledge of business practices of the two Japanese
firms. The order further finds that Excellent USA and Gallwas did not establish a
systematic and meaningful system for supervising the trading of the foreign customer
omnibus accounts and, as a result of the supervisory failures, failed to provide
adequate protection to foreign retail customers who trade in US futures markets.

In a separate order, the CFTC
revoked the registration of Excellent USA on the basis of the February 2000 criminal
conviction in Japan of Toshio Yokoyama, a principal of Excellent USA and the two
Japanese firms. Yokoyama was convicted of cheating and defrauding unsophisticated
Japanese retail customers in connection with the futures trading of the Japanese firms
in the U.S. Yokoyama was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

The CFTC orders provide for the following sanctions:

require Gallwas to cease and desist from further violations of regulation 166.3;

suspend Gallwas’ registration as an associated person for six months;

require Gallwas to pay a civil monetary of $65,000; and

revoke Excellent USA’s registration as a futures commission merchant.

In consenting to the entry of the order and the findings in the order, the respondents
neither admitted nor denied the findings of the order or the allegations of the
complaint.

To see a copy of the settlement orders, go to the following Internet web addresshttp://www.cftc.gov/